Steve Jobs: Apple would embrace DRM-free music 'in a heartbeat'

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Tuesday called upon the "big four" music companies to drop their anti-piracy restrictions and allow digital music tracks to be sold openly on the Internet for any brand of digital music player.

In a letter titled "Thoughts on Music" posted on Apple's website, Jobs addressed calls for the company to "open" the digital rights management (DRM) system that it uses to protect its music against theft, so that music purchased from iTunes can be played on digital devices purchased from other companies and vice versa.

Jobs said that one of the key provision of Apple's agreements with the music companies is that it repair breaches to its FairPlay DRM system promptly, a task which would prove "near impossible" should the company take the route of licensing the technology to multiple parties.

"If our DRM system is compromised and their music becomes playable on unauthorized devices, we have only a small number of weeks to fix the problem or they can withdraw their entire music catalog from our iTunes store," he wrote.

Of similar concern, said Jobs, is that licensing a DRM involves disclosing some of its secrets to many people in many companies, which would inevitably produce leaks.

"The Internet has made such leaks far more damaging, since a single leak can be spread worldwide in less than a minute," he wrote. "Such leaks can rapidly result in software programs available as free downloads on the Internet which will disable the DRM protection so that formerly protected songs can be played on unauthorized players."

As a result, Jobs said that Apple has concluded that if it licenses FairPlay to others, "it can no longer guarantee to protect the music it licenses from the big four music companies." A more suitable alternative, he said, would be to abolish DRMs entirely, creating a world where every online store sells DRM-free music that would play on any digital music player from any company.

"This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat," Jobs wrote. "If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store."

I completely agree - I dont like DRM but until the music industry removes its head from its posterior, its not an option Apple really has a say in.

I can imagine the bigwigs at the big 4 are frothing at the mouth with this

I doubt it. Its just Apple/Steve telling the Europeans to stop whining about DRM if they are unwilling to pressure their own companies to discard DRM which they are not willing to do. So its simple America bashing again.

I've got to say, after reading it, it's bullshit. He claims that Apple would instantly and wholeheartedly embrace DRM-free music if the music companies would allow it. But of course Apple loves the system currently in place. For every iTunes-store music/video that you purchase, it becomes that much harder for you to switch to a different player. With iPods, and now AppleTV and even the iPhone, they can sell a lot of hardware, that only they can sell, that encourages you to buy from the iTunes store, which makes it that much harder for you to switch. That advantage would go away if iTunes content was sold DRM-free.

I've got to say, after reading it, it's bullshit. He claims that Apple would instantly and wholeheartedly embrace DRM-free music if the music companies would allow it. But of course Apple loves the system currently in place. For every iTunes-store music/video that you purchase, it becomes that much harder for you to switch to a different player. With iPods, and now AppleTV and even the iPhone, they can sell a lot of hardware, that only they can sell, that encourages you to buy from the iTunes store, which makes it that much harder for you to switch. That advantage would go away if iTunes content was sold DRM-free.

Call bullshit all you want, but you have to agree that the entire iPod/iTunes ecosystem is mixed, in that it currently thrives on a little DRM and a lot of unprotected content. Steve says that himself. I have a feeling that he's confident enough in the design of Apple's players and store to expect users to still reach for it even when they don't HAVE to.

You can buy cheaper music players today than the iPod. You can buy cheaper computers than Macs. But why don't we? Because we like what we get for what we pay.

Emusic and such offer cheaper music than the iTunes store. yet I still shop at the iTunes store. Why? It's simple, it's fast, and it's well integrated into the rest of my digital life. None of that would change if iTunes store content went unprotected.

Right now the only beef I have about DRM-protected iTunes content is that I can't easily play it on any kind of music-playing cell phone AND my iPods. I'm looking to buy a new cell phone in the next several months and am dreading the task of burning and ripping my iTunes content.

(Aside: I'm also dreading converting all of my Apple Lossless files to something a cell phone can play, but that's another matter.)

Right now the only beef I have about DRM-protected iTunes content is that I can't easily play it on any kind of music-playing cell phone AND my iPods. I'm looking to buy a new cell phone in the next several months and am dreading the task of burning and ripping my iTunes content.

(Aside: I'm also dreading converting all of my Apple Lossless files to something a cell phone can play, but that's another matter.)

I'm not sure how many of you read through the entire letter, but it is very clear and informative. Its perfectly understandable why things are the way they are.

Steve lays out perfect reasons why Apple has iTunes closed. Apple by contract is obligated to close any breaches in FairPlay within a limited amount of time. Right now they only have to patch iTunes and their own iPods. But if they opened FairPlay Apple would have to send patches to everyone who license FairPlay and by contract Apple would only have a limited amount of time for everyone to distribute those patches. Apple cannot guarantee Creative, Sony, Samsung or whoever will successfully distribute the patches by a certain amount of time.

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I've got to say, after reading it, it's bullshit. He claims that Apple would instantly and wholeheartedly embrace DRM-free music if the music companies would allow it. But of course Apple loves the system currently in place.

What would it benefit Apple to put out a letter saying this if they were only going to renege? I'm sure Jobs doesn't believe that the music industry will do away with DRM.

The iPod so thoroughly dominates right now that I'm sure he knows it doesn't need iTunes to continue. He has put the music industry in a awkward position because they have also claimed they don't want Apple to dominate music downloads. Steve says the way you take away our dominance is to allow us to sell non-DRM music. That is a perfect rebuttal.

Think about it though no DRM is ultimately what most people would prefer over Apple licensing FairPlay. It is a great way to move the heat from Apple and onto the music industry.